After the cancellations of Netflix’s hit marvel show Daredevil, desperate fan outcry would follow for years to come, with petitions being created, and billboards being rented in New York City promoting the hashtag #savedaredevil. At last, after a few cameos in other marvel projects such as Echo and Spider-Man No Way Home, Marvel has finally revived the beloved blind vigilante in Daredevil Born Again on Disney+. The highly anticipated soft reboot aims to rekindle the magic of the original series, but does it succeed?
Only 4 episodes have aired at the time of this review, and while excitement for fans are at an extreme high, so is skepticism. The series opens with an extremely controversial decision, killing off a fan favorite from the Netflix era, the death of Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s best friend and all around emotion compass. An absolute gut punch that left fans divided. Though Daredevil doesn’t shy away from high stakes, removing such an integral character this early on feels like a very risky move that might not pay off in the long run.
Another glaring issue is the lack of several pivotal side characters that made the original series feel fleshed out. Characters like Marcy Stahl, Foggy’s potential fiance, and Detective Mahoney, a long time ally to both Matt and Foggy (as well as The Punisher in his own series) have been completely left out so far. Even more concerning is the absence of the character Sister Maggie. Sister Maggie is Matt’s mother who played a huge role in the third season, and had a strong emotional connection to Matt, has yet to have even been acknowledged so far.
In addition to this feeling of detachment to the Netflix show, Karen page, another beloved character, has been quickly written out only after appearing in the first episode. It’s as though the reboot decided to quickly introduce a new cast of characters, instead of continuing with the original ensemble which fans have already developed an emotional attachment to. As a result, the reboot feels emotionally hollow at this point, lacking the heart and depth that made the original Daredevil so compelling.
Interestingly another element lacking from Daredevil Born Again, is Murdock’s Catholicism. In the Netflix series, Matt’s faith contributed to a compelling internal struggle that influenced his morals, guilt, and pursuit for justice. The conflicts of his actions as a vigilante and his religious beliefs made Matt Murdock one of the most compelling characters in the entire Marvel Universe. Without any exploration of Matt’s faith, Daredevil Born Again feels like it has stripped away one of the most profound aspects to the character, running the risk of turning Daredevil into just another superhero, rather than a deeply conflicted, spiritually torn man that the fans have connected with.
Visually, Daredevil Born Again struggles to live up to the unique style of the Netflix series which was renowned for its vibrant color grading and lighting. From the giant billboard that illuminated Matt’s old apartment, to the greenish yellow lights that filled the halls he fought in, bold vibrant colors always appear to find Matt Murdock. While the new series experiments with creative camera angles and lighting, even beginning with an impressive one take fight scene, the efforts fall short due to the extremely dull color grading and overuse of fog and darkness, which was likely an attempt to mask the weak CGI.
With all that said there is still potential for Daredevil Born Again. Comic book fans are familiar with different writers and artists bringing their own interpretations to the character, which has led to some of the most iconic Daredevil storylines. With Charlie Cox, reprising his role as Matt Murdock, along with Vincent D’onofrio and Jon Bernthal also returning, along with a new villain with extremely dark motives, the series has hope in finding its footing and delivering something truly memorable.
For now, even though Born Again struggles to match the unbelievably high bar set by its predecessor, only four episodes have been released thus far. With five episodes soon to come, and a season 2 already in production, there is still potential for the soft reboot to deliver something truly special in this new chapter for our beloved blind crime fighting vigilante.
